The Sea Ahead, the Army Behind

They pursued them at sunrise. Mūsā and Banū Isrāʾīl left in the dark, at night. Firʿawn and his army were ready by the morning. Firʿawn and his army had better equipment, stronger weapons, more powerful weapons and a larger army, so they were able to catch up; they were faster than Mūsā and Banū Isrāʾīl. Mūsā and Banū Isrāʾīl were travelling east, and Firʿawn and his army were following them. Mūsā and Banū Isrāʾīl reached the Red Sea.

In fact, they were still moving, and Firʿawn was behind them, following them. And then the group of Banū Isrāʾīl — the ones towards the end — began to see, behind them on the horizon, Firʿawn and his army. And they kept trying to move as fast as they could, but then suddenly the Red Sea was in front of them, so they could not move. And now Banū Isrāʾīl are looking behind them, and they see Firʿawn coming closer and closer; and they look to the front, and they find the Red Sea.

What was the reaction of Banū Isrāʾīl? And when the two hosts saw each other, the companions of Mūsā said: we are surely going to be overtaken. The sea is in front of us, Firʿawn is behind us — we are dead. And it is said that there were mountains on the sides; there was nowhere they could go. It is said that Mūsā was towards the end, so Mūsā and Hārūn and Yūshaʿ ibn Nūn made their way all the way to the front, to the sea, and they stood there.